How to use robocopy to copy a file

Here’s a short, detailed guide on using Robocopy to copy a file.

Basic Command to Copy a Single File

robocopy "C:\Source\Folder" "D:\Destination\Folder" "filename.txt"

Key Switches for Specific Needs:

• Copy with retry/resume: Add /Z for restartable mode (good for large files or unstable networks)
• Copy all file attributes: Add /COPY:DAT or /COPYALL to preserve timestamps and attributes
• Multithreaded copy: Add /MT:8 for faster copying (uses 8 threads)
• Create log: Add /LOG:copy.log to record the operation

Complete Example:

robocopy "C:\Users\John\Documents" "D:\Backup\Documents" "report.pdf" /COPYALL /MT:8 /Z

Important Notes:

• Robocopy primarily copies between folders – you specify source and destination folders, then the filename
• If the destination folder doesn’t exist, Robocopy will create it
• By default, Robocopy only copies files that are new or changed
• Use /R:3 /W:5 to control retry attempts (3 retries, 5-second wait between them)

For copying entire directories instead of single files, use /E to include all subfolders.